During the current controversy surrounding Tamim Iqbal’s retirement, former Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza expressed his displeasure at seeing the cricketer seem to be lacking in confidence.
After receiving encouragement from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, One-Day International captain Tamim Hassan revoked his decision to retire from international cricket. Tamim had also conveyed to the Prime Minister his desire to have Mashrafe Bin Mortaza serve as the team mentor for the 2023 World Cup, which would be held in India. Today, however, Mashrafe said that he does not understand what the mentor job includes and questioned the motivation behind Tamim’s wish to have such a role.
What are the benefits of having a mentor? Can someone inform me? I’m not sure why he [Tamim] posed that question. I have no idea what a mentor is supposed to do. [Team’s requirement] When an event of such kind has place, one may then utter one’s thoughts on the matter. I do not have an answer to your question at this time. What can I say? If anything similar were to happen in the future, I would be able to stand in front of you and communicate something to you at that time. Today, when participating in a program that was put on by a university, Mashrafe commented, “Right now, I don’t see anything [a situation] like that.”
However, Mashrafe stated that he would have no choice but to take the position of mentor if it is offered to him by the Prime Minister.
“If the honorable Prime Minister wants that [mentor position for Mashrafe], then that’s a another situation altogether. There is no room for debate in regard to that topic. What am I even capable of saying right now? Nobody is aware of what the circumstances would be like the next day. Let’s examine the matter further if it comes to that. At this point in time, it is essential that the squad maintains its health and performs effectively. That’s the best case scenario, in my opinion,” he went on to say.
An emotional farewell was given by Tamim at the press conference that took place in Chattogram. Mashrafe provided the information that he is unsure as to what caused Tamim’s anger. The left-hander, who has been a member of the national team for such a significant amount of time, should not be worried about who is supporting him or who is not, in his view. Instead, Mashrafe was of the opinion that Tamim should be only concerned with his performance and returning to full fitness.
“Whatever happened to Tamim, the most important thing is that I am more upset than that,” she said. I don’t have a clear understanding of [what took place]. I didn’t get much information from him. Seeing Tamim in such a precarious position made me feel even worse.
“Because of his status as a player on the world stage, many people are talking about him. They are, don’t they? To put it another way, you can’t put up that much of a fight, can you? I did not experience anything even somewhat close to it. However, there are instances when individuals need assistance, and other times they have a breakdown that leaves them feeling as if they require support. From this point of view, it was extremely fortunate for him that the honorable Prime Minister took the time to see him, speak to him, and convince him to return to cricket.
“At Tamim’s age, it’s high time for him to start performing. When he has provided the nation with something of exceptional value, he will then go. I believe that the pressure from his environment is just part of the equation; he also has to have a strong mental makeup. In my opinion, it is imperative that Tamim come back in peak physical condition. At the same time, in order to be a performer, he has to mentally prepare himself, and the performances he gives will speak on his behalf.
Aside from this, such actions are not to be anticipated from a cricketer of his caliber, and this is true regardless of whether the coach is on his side, the cricket board is on his side, or we are on his side. We shall not hold out any expectation that he will be considering who is on his side and who is not. We are going to get the impression that he is a performer who is going to put on a show, and thus, everything will be on his side.
“At the moment, he is experiencing pain as a result of his injuries. But I don’t see why he shouldn’t be performing. The cause of this is an injury. He needs to get over his ailment. As I’ve said before, it all comes down to acting responsibly. He ought to be concerned about his wound at this point. According to Mashrafe, if he is able to return to full health, “I am certain that he will score automatically and return to his old situation.”